Balerion
In Game of Thrones ''and ''A Song of Ice and Fire, Balerion the Black Dread was the dragon of King Aegon I Targaryen, known also as Aegon the Conqueror, who helped the king to win the War of Conquest. Named after a Valyrian god, Balerion was massive and powerful; said to be big enough that his shadow while flying swallowed whole towns. He could swallow horse and rider whole and his flame, black and red as he was, was hot enough to melt stone. Balerion's fire was used to forge the swords of Aegon's enemies into the Iron Throne. Of the three Targaryen dragons to participate in the War of Conquest, only Vhagar approached him in size, and only then after many decades. Balerion is known to have burnt down Harrenhall, and he also took part in the Field of Fire, the final battle of the War of Conquest in which he, Vhagar and Meraxes fought together. He was later ridden by Aegon the Conquerer's nephew, Maegor the Cruel, who used him in his war against the Faith Militants and had the dragon destroy the Sept of Remembrance. He later killed the smaller dragon Quicksilver in the Battle Beneath the Gods Eye and his rider Aegon II, Maegor's nephew. After Maegor died (by his own hand or by assassination is not known), Balerion returned to Dragonstone and made his lair there. He would later bond with Princess Aerea Targaryen, and took her away for a year. When he had returned, Aerea was found to have been burning alive from the inside-out and filled with strange parasites, leading to her death. Aeraea's physicians speculated Balerion had taken her to Valyria's ruined shores, where she had suffered as a result. He died of old age nearly a century later under the reign of Jaehaerys I Targaryen. His rider at that time was Viserys I, who was the last Targaryen to pair with the black dread. By this time, Balerion had grown weak and lazy, and Viserys was only able to fly him around the Red Keep three times before returning him to the Dragonpit. At the time of his death Balerion was at least 200 years old and had only been Viserys' mount for only a year. Many believe that Drogon, the eldest sibling of Daenerys Targaryen's three dragons, to be Balerion reincarnated. In the TV Series Balerion is mentioned by Viserys Targaryen, elder brother to Daenerys Targaryen, as the dragon who forged the Iron Throne with his breath. His skull, the only part of him to appear, is stored in the cellars of the Red Keep on Robert Baratheon's orders. In season 7, Balerion's skull is used as a target for a scorpion ballista created by Qyburn, the hand of the late Robert's wife, the queen Cersei Lannister, to show that dragons are not invincible. The resulting test ends with the bolt fired from the ballista piercing the dragon's skull with one shot. Balerion's skull is later seen shattered in the cellars of the Red Keep after Drogon attacks King's Landing, and later, when Drogon finds Daenerys dead at the hands of Jon Snow, Drogon puts an end to the Iron Throne Balerion helped create by melting it, ending the madness and destruction the symbol of power has wreaked on Westeros for 300 years. See Also *Balerion on the Game of Thrones Wiki *Balerion on A Wiki of Ice and Fire de:Balerion Category:Films Category:Wyvern Category:Western Dragons Category:Deceased Dragons